Traction-rope-gripping device for aerial wire-rope tramway buckets.



J. H. MONTGOMERY. TRACTION ROPE GRIPPING DEVICE FOR AERIAL WIRE ROPE TRAMWAY BUGKETS..

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1908. 91 5, 104:, Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W Ed 50 776% J. H. MONTGOMERY.

TRACTION ROPE GRIPPING DEVICE FOR AERIAL WIRE ROPE TRAMWAY BUGKE'ES. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1908.

9 1 5, 1 04;, Patented Maf..16, 1909.

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J. H. MONTGOMERY. TRACTION ROPE GRIPPING DEVICE, FOR AERIAL WIRE ROPE TRAMWAY BUGKETS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1908.' Patented Mar. 16

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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J. H. MONTGOMERY. TRACTION ROPE GRIPPING DEVICE FOR AERIAL WIRE ROPE TRAMWAY BUGKETS.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 23, 190B.

Patented Ma 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

N %N W UNITED STATES PA iENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. MONTGOMERY, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

TRACTION-ROPE-GRIPPING DEVICE FOR. AERIAL WIRE-ROPE TRAMWAY BUCKETS.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. MONT- GOMERY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Traction-Rope-Gripping Device for Aerial Wire Rope Tramway Buckets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic traction rope gripping devices for the buckets of aerial wire rope tramways, and the objects of my invention are: First, to provide a simple frictional gripping device that can be attached to each bucket of the tramway, and that can be automatically actuated to grip a bucket to and release a bucket from the traction rope of aerial wire rope tramways at their terminals or at loading and dumping stations along their length. Second, to provide a traction rope gripping device that can be attached to either the trolley or to the bail portion of the buckets of aerial wire rope tramways, and that is provided with a resilient device arranged to normally hold the grip in an open traction rope receiving position. And third, to provide a practical and easily mani ulated rope grip for the buckets of aeria wire rope tramways. I attain these results by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a front elevation of a tramway rope trolley, equipped with the improved traction rope gripping device. Fig. 2, is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3, is a front elevation, illustrating the arrangement for automatically locking the gripping mechanism to the traction rope. Fig. 4, is a front elevation showing the arrangement for automatically releasing the grip, a bucket being shown whose grip operating lever is about to engage the releasing device, a sec ond bucket being shown after the lever has been engaged by the releasing device, and a third bucket being shown with its lever thrown back out of operative position. Fig. 5, is a central vertical sectional view through the gripping device. Fig. 6, is a front elevation of the cross head forming part of the gripping mechanism. Fig. 7, is a side view thereof. Fig. 8, is a top view of the same. Figs. 9 and 10, are front and edge views Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. November 23, 1908.

Patented March 16, 1909.

Serial No. 464,068.

respectively of the fixed jaw of the gripping mechanism. Figs. 11, 12, and 13, are front, bottom, and end views, respectively, of the movable gripping jaw. Fig. 14, is a sectional view on the line 1414 of Fig. 1. Fig. 15, is a .front elevation illustrating a modification in which the grip ing mechanism is secured to the bucket Fail instead of the trolley. Fig. 16, is an enlarged View partly in section and partly in side elevation, of the arrangement shown in Fig. 15. And Fig. 17, is an end view of the grip releasing device.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the standing rope or track, as the case may be, and 2, the running rope of an aerial wire rope tramway, such as is used for transporting ore, merchandise, and passengers in mountainous countries between fixed terminal points, which maybe several hundred feet to several miles in length. I do not illustrate the terminals of tramways around which the endless running rope passes, and to which the stationary rope is attached at its opposite ends, as they do not form a part of my present invention, and their construction is well understood in the art.

My present invention relates to a traction rope grip 3, which is carried by the bucket and is either connected to the trolley of the bucket, which runs on the stationary rope, as is shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, or is connected to the bail of the bucket, as is shown in Figs. 15 and 16.

My invention also relates to an automatic grip actuating mechanism for causing the grip of the bucket to grip the traction or running rope at a predetermined point of the terminals or at loading stations along the length of a tram, and of automatic grip releasing mechanism for actuating the grip to release the traction rope at dumping stations at the terminals or at predetermined unloading stations along the length of the line.

A tramway is provided with a plurality of buckets and each bucket consists of a bucket portion 5, a bail 6, and a trolley 7. The bucket portions may consist of the common ore or merchandise carrying buckets, and also of passenger carrying buckets, the passenger carrying buckets differing from the ore or merchandise carrying buckets only as to form, they being provided with a seat portion in their opposite ends, and with a depending foot and leg receiving portion ar ranged between the seat portions at the center of the bucket. The bail consists of yokeshaped iron straps, the lower ends of which extend over the top of the bucket to its opposite ends, and are pivotally secured upon pins 8, extending from plates 9, which are secured to the ends of the bucket. The upper ends of this bail converge and terminate in an eye 10, in which is secured a pin 11, which projects at right angles from it and extends through bearing apertures in a pair of tie bars 12 and 13, which form a part of the trolley, and through a flanged sleeve or hub 14, which is interposed between the bars, which are rigidly secured to the flanged ends thereof. These tie bars are provided at their opposite ends with castings 15, formed with oil cup journal boxes 16, in which axle shafts 17 are journaled, and are rotatably secured against accidental displacement, and upon these axle shafts trolley sheaves 18 are rigidly mounted.

The rope gripping device consists of a fixed plate 19, which is secured at its upper end to the outer tie bar 12 by bolts or rivets 20. The lower end of this plate is curved upward to form a fixed semi-circular-shaped lower jaw 21, for the traction rope 2 of the tramway to seat in, and the forward end of this lower jaw is extended slightly beyond the body of the plate and is beveled at its under side from this projecting end portion downward to permit it to slide over anything it may engage and drag on. This fixed plate I term the fixed jaw plate, and it forms a slideway for a cross head 22, which carries at its lower end a movable jaw 23,

of the form shown in Figs. 11, 12, and 13,

and which comprises a body portion 24, provided with a semi-circular recess 25, adapted to fit down over the upper surface of the rope and with rojecting ears 26, which are apertured as s own. The sliding cross-head 22, consists of a front plate 27 and the back late 28, the front plate 27 being adapted to lie against the jaw plate 19, and being provided with offset lugs 29, which extend over and alongside of the edges of the jaw plate even with its rear side and form slideways. The plate 28 issecured to these lugs against the rear side of the jaw plate, and the forward end of said plate projects a suitable distance beyond the crosshead, and is bent outward at an angle'as shown in Fig. 2, so as to form a guard for the cross-head. Thus these two plates and the lugs form a sliding cross-head on the fixed jaw plate. The lower end of the cross-head plate 27 is provided with a depending lip 29", which projects over the outside side surface of the movable jaw, while the lower end portion of this plate is formed to rest squarely against the top of the jaw 23, but a rubber block 30 is preferably inserted between the top surface of the jaw and the flat lower end of the plate 27, or compression springs 31 may be seated in recesses 32 of the cross-head and bear upon the jaw 23, as shown in Fig. 16. The rubber or the compression springs are employed to provide a compensating or yielding element between the jaw and the cross-head. The movable jaw is held up against the crosshead by two contraction s rings 33, each of which is secured at one en to one of the ears 26 of the movable jaw, and their other ends are secured to a couple of yoke-shaped clips 34, which are hung on the upper edge of the trolley sheave tie bar 12. The contractive action of these springs exerts upon the movable jaw a constant resilient pressure against the cross-head; consequently when the j aw is not 'ressed down against the traction rope in the ed jaw, it will be raised away from the rope and lower jaw by these contractive springs. The cross-head and the jaw are moved downward against the contractive pressure of these s rings by a cam 35, which is pivotally secure upon the forward end of the pin 11, which passes through the fixed jaw plate. A lever 36 is secured to the cam and is arranged to be manually moved in a substantially semi-circular arc from the opposite end portions of the trolley over the cross-head, and the cam is so formed that when it is moved to the rearward of the direction in which the bucket and traction rope are running, which is in the direction of the arrow 37, it will permit the contractive springs to raise the movable jaw and crosshead away from the traction rope and the fixed jaw, but when the lever and cam are swung over toward the direction of movement of the traction rope and of the bucket, the cross-head and jaw will be pressed down upon the rope, and when the lever is moved far enough to cause the point of the cam to pass a point on the top of the cross-head in vertical alinement with the pivotal center of the cam, the cross-head and jaw will be locked to the rope, which will be held between the two jaws, and the traction rope will then draw the bucket along the sta tionary rope, and the cam as it is moved down to cause the movable jaw to grip the rope, moves far enough past the vertical center of its pivotal pin to become securely set against an accidental movement that would loosen the gripping pressure on the top of the movable jaw.

The cam lever can be moved by an 0 erator at the bucket loading and unloa ing stations, to attach the buckets to or to release th em from the traction rope, but I preferably employ the following means for automatically moving the cam and its lever to grip and release the traction rope at the terminals and at loading and dumping stations along the length of the tram, and employ for this pui )ose the following arrangement of cam ever engaging devices: To an overhead timber or other su ort 38, which would form a part of or would be positioned adjacent to a terminal or a loading station, I secure the upper ends of two iron straps 39, which I term bracket straps, the lower ends of which are provided with a right angled end which is arranged to receive and support an inclined plate 40, which I term the attaching plate, the lower end and middle portion of which are secured to these straps, while the upper end is secured to the support 38. The lower end portion of this inclined plate is provided between its supporting straps with a stifi'ening bar 41, to prevent any springing of this cam lever engaging plate at that portion of it where the pressure of the cam lever against it is the greatest.

The operation of this attaching device is as follows: The operator at a loading station having filled the bucket with ore or other material, throws the cam lever over in the direction to cause the movable jaw to move down against the traction rope, and then gives the bucket a'push along 173.6 stationary rope and against the attaching cam lever portion, which is provided at its end with a right-angled portion 42, which will strike the inclined attaching plate 40, which causes the cam lever to move down enough to cause the Inov able jaw to pinch the rope against the fixed jaw. The rope will then draw the bucket along, and as the bucket moves alon its cam lever, which is against the under si e of the inclined plate, is moved down far enough to cause the point of the cam to move past its vertical center on the top of the cross-head, which causes the aw 23 to gri the rope with a pressure that is sufficient to ock the bucket rigidly to the rope. The traction rope then hauls the bucket and its load to the unload ing station or terminal, where the angled end of the cam lever engages a releasing device, which comprises a sup ort 43, from which bracket straps 44 depen which are arranged to support a double inclined bar 45, the side of which facing the direction in which the rope is running, being inclined upward and provided with a double beveled end portion 46 to engage the angled end of the cam lever. The cam lever engaging side of this releasing device extends at an upward angle from where its point engages the cam lever, to raise the cam lever as it runs up on its surface high enough to move the cam past its vertical center, and as tlte trolley passes out of the releasing device he cam lever engages a pin 45 bywhich it is thrown over to its full inoperative position, and the contraction springs of the movable jaw pull the jaw and raise the cross-head upward, as will be seen in Fig. 4. After the bucket has passed by the releasing device, it is released from the traction r0 e, and is at a terminal of the tramway, an is taken charge of by the operator who moves it to the loading point of the terminal, and after loading it again throws the cam lever over into rope gripping position, and gives the bucket a shove against the attaching device, where its grip instantly grips the trac tion rope and the traction rope hauls it along the stationary rope to the opposite or dumping terminal. As a rule, both terminals are equipped with both an attaching and a releasing device, as in mines where ore is hauled down, provisions and supplies, lumber, powder, drills, and other merchandise are hauled up; and in addition to the above, some tramways have branch or switch lines of tramways leading from other mines to the main tramway line, and at such intersecting oints a loading and unloading station is p aced, which is arranged to be switched into the main line when desired.

In Fig. 15, I illustrate my improved grip attached to the bail portion of the bucket instead of to the trolley portion of the bucket, a saddle strap 47 being extended across the apex portion of the bail, and secured thereto at its ends, for a support for the upper end of the fixed jaw 48 and for the supporting clip of the contractive springs. The lower end portion of the fixed jaw is secured to the regular cross brace 49 of the bucket, by a stirrup iron 50, which is secured at one end to the brace and at its opposite end to the fixed jaw. The construction and operation of the grip is the same in either position on the bucket.

My invention is simple, practical, and provides a safe, sure, and positive rope grip for the individual buckets of aerial wire rope tramways.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a rope gripping device for the buckets of aerial wire rope tramways, the combination with a stationary and a running rope, of an operative tramway bucket, a fixed jaw connected to said bucket and arranged to register with the under side of said traction rope, a non-rotatable but slidable movable jaw mounted on said fixed jaw to register with the upper side of said traction rope, a cam arranged to move said movable jaw to grip said running rope between itself and said fixed jaw, resilient means for normally holding said movable jaw away from said running rope when said cam is in a position of disuse, and means including angular slideways for automatically moving said cam to attach said jaws to or to release them from said running rope.

2. In a tramway-bucket rope gripping device, the combination with the stationary and the running rope, of a trolley bucket mounted on said stationary rope, and a traction rope gripping device secured to said bucket, conprlsi-ng a fixed jaw, a movable jaw slidably mounted on said fixed jaw,

said fixed and movable jaws being arranged.

to partially surround opposite sides of said traction rope, a block slidable on said fixed jaw, a resilient member between said block and said movable jaw, a cam provided with an operating lever pivotal-ly secured to said fixed jaw and arranged to engage said block to move said movable jaw toward said fixed jaw, springs connected to said movable jaw, and arranged to exert a resilient tension on said movable'j aw away from said fixed jaw and means including suitable slideways for moving said cam and lever to cause said movable jaw to grip said traction rope against said fixed jaw and to release it at predetermined points in the length of said tramway.

3. in a device as specified, the combination with a bucket, of a plate rig-idly attached thereto, having a fixed jaw at its lower end; a cross-head in sliding engagement with said plate; a cam for moving the cross head toward the fixed jaw; a jaw on the under side of the cross-head, and a resilient element between said aw and the cross-head; and springs connected with said and the trolley whereby the said jaw and cross-head are held away from the fixed jaw when the cam is in an inoperative position.

4. In a device as specified, the combination with a trolley supporting frame, of a plate secured to the frame, having a rope receiving jaw upon its lower end; a crosshead mounted to slide up and down upon said plate; a removable jaw beneath the lower end of the cross-head, and a resilient abutment between said head and the jaw; springs connected with the removable jaw and with the trolley frame for normally holding the said jaw and cross-head away from the fixed jaw ;,a'cam pivotally attached to said fixed jaw and in engagement with the cross-head; and an arm extending from the cam whereby the same is operated to move the cross-head and removable jaw toward the fixed jaw.

5. In a device as specified, the combination with a trolley or bail, of a traction rope gripping mechanism connected thereto, con-' sisting of a fixed rope receiving jaw; a conrotatable but slidab'le cooperating jaw movable toward and away from the 'fixed jaw; a

cam foroperating the movable jaw in one di-- rection, springs for movmgit 1n the opposite 6. In a device as specified, the combina tion with a trolley or bail, o'fa traction rope grippingdevicesecured thereto, comprlsing a plate having a fixed rope receiving jaw at its lower end, a cross-head in sliding engagement with the plate, and means for preventing the cross-head from becoming disengaged from the plate; a projecting lip at the lower end of the cross-head; a resilient element between the lip and the plate at the lower end of the cross-head; a jaw abutting against the resilient element, and lying be-' tion with a trolley comprising parallel bars having bearings at their opposite ends, shafts mounted in the bearings, sheave wheels rigidly attached to the shafts, a hub secured between the bars, and a pin extending through the hub and bars, having a bucket supporting bail secured upon one end, of a cam loosely mounted on the opposite end of the pin; a fixed jaw on the trolley, a movable jaw adapted to be operated in one direc tion relatively to the fixed jaw by the cam; springs for moving the jaw in the opposite clirection, when the cam is in an inoperative position, and an arm extending from the cam whereby the same is operated,

8. In a device as specified, the combination with a trolley or bail, a traction rope gripping mechanism on the trolley comprising a fixed rope supporting jaw, a slidable jaw above the fixed jaw; springs for normally holding the slidable jaw out of rope gripping position relatively to the fixed jaw, and a cam for moving the slidable jaw into rope gripping position, having an arm extending therefrom, of a fixed straight inclined plate in the path of the trolley, the ends of which lie in parallel planes, for engaging :the cam arm to lock the gripping mechanism, and a second fixed inclined plate in the path of the trolley .at an opposite inclination to the first plate, the ends of which lie in the same plane, said second plate being positioned at .a predetermined point in the travel of the trolley for engaging the cam arm to release the gripping mechanism.

9. In a device as specified, the combination with a trolley or bail, a fixed rope receiving jaw thereon; a slidab'le jaw on :the fixed j aw; resilient means for normally holding the slidable j aw away from-the fixed jaw,

and a cam for moving the slidable jaw into rope gripping position relatively to the fixed jaw, and having an arm extending from the in the reverse direction, whereby the grip is same, of straight fixed oppositely inclined released.

plates at predetermined points in the travel In testimony whereof I affix my signature of the trolley, having their ends arranged in in presence of two witnesses.

parallel planes, one plate of which is adapted JAMES H. MONTGOMERY. to engage the cam arm, whereby the cam is Witnesses: operated to lock the gripping device, while G. SARGENT ELLIOTT,

the other plate is adapted to throw the arm 1 ADELLA M. FOWLE. 

